ACUM (Society of Authors, Composers and Music Publishers in Israel)

ACUM (Society of Authors, Composers and Music Publishers in Israel) is a non-profit copyright collective that administers the rights of authors, composers, and music publishers in Israel. Founded in 1936 and headquartered in Tel Aviv, ACUM collects and distributes royalties for public performance, mechanical reproduction, broadcasting, and digital use of musical works on behalf of its 10,000+ members.

How ACUM Works

ACUM issues licenses to anyone who uses music publicly in Israel. This includes radio and television broadcasters, streaming platforms, live concert venues, restaurants, hotels, retail stores, tourist buses, and even kibbutzim where live music is performed. License fees are collected and distributed to members based on detailed usage reports and monitoring data.

The organization operates under the oversight of the Israel Antitrust Authority, which has designated ACUM as a monopoly in the market for copyright management. This means ACUM's licensing arrangements are subject to review and approval by the Antitrust Tribunal, with periodic renewals that require transparency in revenue reporting and artist compensation.

Membership is free. There are no dues. To qualify, artists must be active in literature or music and have their works used publicly. ACUM provides copyright protection, collective licensing, royalty collection, and legal advice to its members. Since 2004, ACUM also licenses musical works for commercial use online, following an Israel Supreme Court ruling in its favor.

Through CISAC membership, ACUM has reciprocal agreements with 98 affiliated societies worldwide. This means ACUM collects royalties for foreign works performed in Israel, and foreign societies collect royalties for Israeli works performed abroad.

Real-World Example

An Israeli composer registers 30 songs with ACUM. A Tel Aviv radio station plays 5 of those songs in a given quarter, a streaming platform reports 50,000 streams of 10 songs, and three restaurants hold blanket licenses that cover background music performances. ACUM collects royalties from all three sources and distributes them to the composer based on the frequency and type of use.

In 2008, ACUM reported collecting NIS 76 million (approximately $20 million USD at the time) in royalties for its members, a 28% increase over the previous year. The organization's total revenue was NIS 99.4 million. These figures demonstrate the scale of royalty collection possible through a centralized licensing system in a single national market.

ACUM also hosts the annual ACUM Awards, which started in 1958 as a small anonymous competition and has grown into a major event offering prizes across literature, classical music, and popular music. The lifetime achievement award includes a $10,000 cash prize.

Why It Matters for Independent Artists

If you are an Israeli songwriter, composer, or publisher, ACUM membership is the only practical way to collect performance royalties for your works. Without ACUM, you would need to individually license every radio station, venue, and platform that plays your music in Israel, which is not feasible.

Joining is free, but you must have works that are used publicly to qualify. Once registered, ACUM tracks performances across all licensed sources and pays you based on actual usage. If your music is played internationally, ACUM's reciprocal agreements with 98 foreign societies mean those societies collect on your behalf and remit to ACUM for distribution to you.

For non-Israeli artists, ACUM still matters. If your music is performed in Israel (on Israeli radio, in Israeli venues, or on Israeli streaming services), your PRO collects from ACUM through reciprocal agreements. Ensure your works are properly registered with your home PRO so they can claim from ACUM.

Related Resources

• Performing Rights Organizations (PRO) - What a PRO is and how it functions
• Performance Royalties - How performance royalties are generated and collected
• Mechanical Royalties - How mechanical royalties work alongside performance royalties
• Collective Management Organization (CMO) - How CMOs operate globally
• Copyright - The legal framework behind royalty collection
• ACUM Official Website - Visit ACUM for membership and licensing information
• Use our Streaming Royalty Calculator to estimate your digital earnings